Shaving

All of my guys are short or medium haired, so I've never had to worry about shaving them, but I do know several members here have gotten sanitary shaves or lion cuts for their cats. That may be an option for you...and it's pretty normal so if your vet also does grooming, they shouldn't be surprised by it.

My sister's medium coat cat was sprayed by a skunk this summer and she shaved him. It helped with the stink and sheding. She is tempted to do it again this spring for the sheding.

I have a long hair cat that I gave a lion clip to. Meuzette is a good natured older cat and trusted me. She thought the clippers wrere purring all over her body. Not all take it that way.

I had a long haired himi that I would cut his hair during the summers. - admittedly, I'd lay him across my lap and be able to use scissors (I know others think that's a horror, but I never cut him and always stopped if he wiggled) to cut his hair across his belly and partway up the sides. When he laid down, you'd never know I did anything, but he was always happier.

One year, we were getting something done in the house (bug bombed I think) and so I took both cats (the other was a short haired tortie) to the pet store to have them washed, groomed and trimmed.

Mind you, I'd been using my own bathtub for years to wash them, this was the first time I took them to the groomer.

A few hours later, my husband and I went to get the cats, and the groom said she didn't shave the cat. That we should NEVER shave the cat, nor should we ever groom that cats again. it was way too tramatic for them.

If your vet does grooming, I'm sure that the vet will have more options to make sure the cat is calm while being shaved than a groomer at the local pet store.

the shocking one actually, was driving across country and in Nebraska the cat was soooooooo unhappy and shedding that we pulled over at a rest stop, pulled out a shaver we had and shaved the cat right there in the parking lot. he didn't struggle at all as he knew he'd feel better when it was over and done with.